Looking for a good medium hill in Charlotte to do a hill workout? My favorite for the 400m distance is located close to the Bank of America Panthers stadium on Greenleaf Ave and West 1st Street off South Cedar Street.

There is plenty of parking on either street, and the traffic flow is low in the mornings. After you warm up, I recommend starting here and running to the top of Greenleaf Ave.

Recover back down the same hill until you reach your starting point, then run the opposite direction (West 1st Street) until you reach the top. Repeat the recovery jog down, and run back up Greenleaf Ave.

Here is what the workout looks like if you are using a Garmin:

If you are using a watch, you can leave the clock running, pressing the lap button at the start and stop of each hill to gauge your splits.

Give it a try, I believe you will like the hill variation, challenge and scenery.

You probably have heard by now that spot reducing fat is nearly impossible. However, you can target areas that need improvement. I came across a great blog by Towsend Fitness Systems that shows some effective exercises to produce “Show-Stopping Legs.”

@ 5:15 p.m. I ran over to meet Natasha at 5th & Poplar; 2 miles from my front door. @ 5:30. We took off southwest…checkout the straight line from E Morehead to Kenilworth… I stopped my watch while in traffic, and never restarted it until Picassos on East…no biggie. After the sun went down the temperature dropped considerably. At this point we were trotting on the park grass planning our route back. On East Blvd we witnessed a three car pileup, ouch. After a slight run down the middle of Euclid, we were back on Morehead, oh yeah! Right before the Dowd Y, I turned in for my finish…Natasha had .5 to go 🙂

Tis the season to add a few extra pounds to that lean frame of yours. It happens to everyone, holiday parties, travel, nasty weather; all evils that throw off your routine. There is hope. According to Runners World, just 20 minutes of activity can keep you fit.

Short Tempo Run
Grab your watch and your running shoes (if you packed them) and go for an abbreviated tempo run (2 miles). Do the first half mile (4 minutes) as a warm up. After 4 minutes or half a mile, turn it up to your 5k pace or as fast as you can go for a mile (5-7 minutes). When you reach the 1.5 mile mark or (12 minutes) slow down to a nice easy jog and finish the 2 mile loop.

Home Circuit Training
Remember all those exercises you did as a kid in middle school? 30 seconds of push ups, 30 seconds of sit-ups, 30 seconds of squats, 30 seconds of jumping jacks…repeat. These 2 minute intervalls just using your body weight will elevate your heart rate and burn some major calories.

Shovel or Chop
You can burn several hundred calories swinging an ax or shoveling snow. Be careful, the last thing that you want to happen is to get injured.

Summer running can be quite challenging, as there are so many elements that change the running experience.

When the humidity level is high, your body struggles to cool itself. Your body attempts to cool down by pumping blood to the external surface of the body, depleting blood levels in the muscles, internal organs, and the brain.

Stay hydrated- drink water hours before your run to ensure proper hydration. Did you know that when you start to feel thirsty, it’s more than likely you are in the early stages of dehydration? If you are planning a long run, be sure to know your water stops, and if necessary, place water along your route the night before. Additional options could be in the form of the notorious water bottle belt (grenades) or a hand-held sports water bottle.

What I like to do is take a half bottle of water, put the cap on snug, squeeze within my hand until most of the air is out, and then cap it.

Avoid the sun. Of course, this is tough to do, yet too much sun exposure can lead to skin cancer. Find the shade; schedule your runs before the sun rises or map out a nice shady course. If shade is not an option, always wear sunscreen and protective clothing.

Do not let the heat be an excuse to skip a run. Training in extreme elements (once a week) is a great way to gain an edge on your competition. Be safe and get out there.